A combine harvester is a machine that is used to harvest grain crops. The objective is to complete several processes, which traditionally were distinct, in one pass of the machine over a particular part of the field. Among the crops that may be harvested with a combine are wheat, oats, rye, barley, corn, soybeans, and flax or linseed. The waste (e.g., straw) left behind on the field includes the remaining dried stems and leaves of the crop having limited nutrients which may be, for example, chopped and spread on the field or baled for feed, bedding for livestock, and biomass fuel capabilities.
The cut crop may be picked up and fed into the threshing and separating mechanism of the combine, typically consisting of a rotating threshing drum to which grooved steel bars may be bolted. These bars thresh or separate the grains and chaff from the straw through the action of the drum against the concaves, i.e., shaped “half drum,” that may also be fitted with steel bars and a meshed grill, through which grain, chaff and smaller debris may fall, whereas the straw, being too big or long, is carried through to the outlet.
The operation of most combine harvesters requires substantial operational involvement and control by the operator. For example, in a combine the operator is required to control: the direction of the combine; the speed of the combine; the height of the combine head; the air flow through the combine cleaning fan; the amount of harvested crop stored on the combine; etc.
Most combines today utilize an automatic header height control system to maintain a constant cutting height above the ground regardless of the ground contour or ground position relative to the base combine. Most typical combines also have the ability to manually adjust the responsiveness and sensitivity of the system to adapt to customer preferences and forward travel speed. Generally, the higher the ground speed, the higher the responsiveness and the lower the sensitivity. In these conventional systems, however, to make changes to the automatic header height and lateral tilt system, the combine operator must either manually turn dials, or knobs, or pressure switches either on the control console or on a vehicle display. This manual action distracts from the operator's focus on maximizing the combine throughput.
Accordingly, it is useful to automate as many tasks as possible to reduce the effort required by the operator and to allow the operator to focus on other tasks. In particular, there is a need for an automatic header height control system for lateral tilt sensitivity and responsiveness.